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Hi all I have a WO FLT110 (the TMB version). I've now acquired a Field Flattener IV which is 0.8x rather than the TMB 1x. However, I have a Feathertouch focuser so the standard FF IV adapter doesn't work. I've tried using the 2 inch nosepiece, but I don't have enough inward focus travel so need to shorten the back focus. The thread on the feather touch / TMB appears to be 92mm and the FF IV 50mm/2 in. So, I think I need an adapter which is 92mm male to 50mm male. Any ideas? Thanks!

Thanks Dave I found a bag of PC mounting hardware, and pan-headed hard drive screws fit perfectly 😊

Hi all I've just purchased a QHYCFW3-S filter wheel. Connection to the QHY camera is easy via the thumbscrews. The scope side, however has six bolt holes surrounding the M42 thread, meaning it is open to light. The wheel came with an M42 to 2-inch nose piece which covers the holes, but I need to use the M42 thread. Is there an adapter or am I missing something? Thanks!

Great info - thank you 😊

perfect - thank you. I’ve managed to order some for delivery tomorrow 😊

Hi all Anyone know of a sealant, easily available in the UK I can use to reseal my SkyShed Pod to a wooden deck? The Pod is made out of high density polyethylene, and it's currently sealed with Lexel and the Pod makers in Canada suggest Durabond Lexel, Boatlife Life-seal or Mono Ultra silicone sealant. I've found boat life in the UK but it is expensive with longish lead times. Thanks! Nick

Thanks for the replies. The question is not really about whether to save the NEQ6, I'd like to understand what I'd gain over the NEQ6 with other / higher quality options - though it would be interesting to know how a hyper tuned NEQ6 would compare to a standard one or say, a £2000/£4000/£6000 mount.

Hi all I’ve been using an NEQ6 for about 8 years in my obsy (belt modded earlier this year) for astrophotography and am starting to get the urge to upgrade the mount, mainly to maximise precious imaging time and reduce glitches. Most of my imaging is at 250-770mm focal length with refractors and occasionally a 2350mm SCT. I’m guiding most of the time, but unguided is interesting to be able to image with both scopes at the same time (maybe). I’m interested to hear recommendations in order to get a sense of performance (gains) vs cost. I’d rather not spend a few thousand now if I’d be better of waiting and making a bigger investment later to get a meaningful gain over the NEQ6. Thanks! Nick

Thank you both. The 314L+ though small is good for galaxies, and would give 0.97"/pix on an RC6 and 0.82 on a 6 which astro tools suggests is good for OK seeing or better. The Horizon would need good seeing or better (if not binning). Good to know you're both happy with the RCs! Nick

Hi all My first scope was a Celestron CPC925, but I quickly moved to DSO imaging and never got any success with the SCT (I think I have one of the dud Meade reducers). 90% of the time, I'm imaging with a Redcat or FLT110 refractor but would like a bit more reach for galaxies. I occasionally image the moon, but haven't had a go at the planets for years, so the SCT gets little to no use. I'm considering putting it back on the forks and selling it and getting a small (6 or 8 inch) Ritchey Chretien for galaxies. I'd be interested in thoughts/views on this. I have an Atik Horizon and an Atik 314L+ camera. Thanks! Nick

Hi all. I’ve read 10 or so books (at least once) in pursuit of getting to grips with imaging. Over the winter I added a Redcat wide-field scope to reduce impact of tracking and flattener spacings and switched from a small chip mono CCD to an Atik Horizon. I’m finally turning out images I’m happy with, both LRGB and narrowband. However, it’s still a bit trial and error on settings, etc though I’m learning a lot from setting up with Sequence Generator Pro. can anyone recommend a good book for CMOS imaging? All the ones I have don’t really scratch the surface on how to get the most out of CMOS vs CCD and I’d like to learn how to optimise exposure lengths, get better flats, etc. thanks! Nick

Hi all I'm just in the process of renewing cabling, etc. in my obsy and am playing with a mini PC on the mount rather than a tower PC away from the mount. I'm currently using a Lynx Astro 5m EQDIR cable. I'm struggling to see from product diagrams which EQDIR adapters allow for a short cable - I only need to get from the DB9 port to the mini PC mounted on one of the scopes and want to avoid bundles of cables. Any suggestions? Thanks! Nick

Thanks @DaveL59 - you reminded me I have some quick drying electrical contact cleaner. I vacuumed out the PC tower and cleaned all external contacts. After doing that, I could only start the PC with no USB devices connected, but think I narrowed it down to a couple of bad ports. To test, I’ve run about 48 hours of dark frames without a hitch, so 🤞. Having looked into the alternatives too, I’ve also ordered a Beelink T45 mini PC to run at the mount. I will set this up for all the imaging, which can then go out into the field too (it’s 12v) which solves a separate problem. The current PC will just run the mount in the obsy, meaning I can restart the imaging PC if necessary without losing the object tracking. thanks again all nick

Thanks all - great info and advice.

Hi all My SkyShed Pod observatory has been running for 7 years, and my setup is a PC tower (running 24/7) with an early model Mounthub Pro distributing power and USB. I’ve recently switched to a Lynx Astro EQMOD cable to stop recurring issues with the old Prolific chipset. NEQ6 mount - sometimes loses the connection, but keeps running at sidereal mounthub pro - sometimes needs a reboot to connect Atik Horizon with Atik Dusk software running over USB2 - stops responding anywhere from 5 mins to 2 hours into an imaging run Atik Infinity or ASI174 guide camera via Dusk or PHD2 - cannot get guiding to start reliably anymore The setup is becoming increasingly unreliable. With so many things affected, I suspect a USB or power issue either at the PC or the Mounthub. I’m going to try and do some testing with cameras connected directly to the PC (Would probably be wise to use the MountHub’s USB port on the PC to test that). My question is, if I do need to replace hardware, what solutions do people find most reliable? E.g. a power/usb/focuser hub at the mount (e.g. Pegasus or mounthub), something like an Eagle PC at the mount, or something else? I’m very busy with work and triathlon training so my time (when skies are actually clear) is precious. thanks! Nick

Hi all I've been converting my NEQ6 to belt drive using the Rowan kit, and cleaning and regreasing for the first time. All the bearings appeared ok and still full of grease, so I only added grease to the carefully-cleaned worm gears. Having reassembled and adjusted the backlash, everything seemed fine until testing through a complete revolution of each axis. RA is sticking and stopping the motor at just one point on a full rotation of the mount, so I'm thinking the brass worm gear must be the culprit. I tried loosening off the backlash and also the steel worm, but it was still sticking. Any ideas where I should look? I now have as secondary issue in that in trying to strip the RA axis down again to have a deeper look, one of the bearings is stuck fast and won't allow the RA shaft to come out 🙄. Thanks Nick